The Android-powered slates are now packing powerful hardware specifications, allowing the developers to create games that take the most of the processors and graphics processing units hidden underneath the tablets’ cases. Some of the Android games for tablets have became popular for their impressive graphics, while other are known due to their originality and for being addictive.

Here, at Android.gs, we got our hands on many of the games available in Google Play. We tested many of them while having fun, and we though that there are some of you who might want to see which of them were the best around. But let’s cut the chitchat and see which are the best Android tablet games of 2012, in Android Geek’s opinion.

Grand Theft Auto 3

Grand Theft Auto 3, or how the cool guys like to call it, GTA 3, is available in Google Play for both Android smartphones and tablets, at a price of $4.00. If you played Grand Theft Auto or if you are a fan of the open world action-adventure games, you should know that the game is worth every penny.

The Android version of Grand Theft Auto 3 was last updated on January 25th , 2012, reaching version 1.3. The installer has a size of 8.9 MB, but you will need to download some extra files and we would recommend you to be on a WiFi connection.

The GTA 3 graphics are impressive for a mobile Android game, and if you are using a 10.1-inch tablet you will be fascinated by it.

Before you purchase the game you will have to make sure that your tablet is powerful enough to support the graphics. It would be useful if you take a look at the user reviews and also check out the game compatibility.

The users ones who already installed the game have reported that GTA 3 works just fine on Galaxy Tab 10.1, Motorola Xoom, ASUS Transformer Prime, Galaxy Note 10.1 and other Android-powered devices. We’ve tested it on a ASUS Transformer TF700T and it runs smooth. Be careful, as it is very addictive. No, I’m not joking, it is.

Max Payne Mobile

After Rockstar Games launched Max Payne Mobile for iOS on April 13th, the third-person shooter also arrived in Google Playstore on June 14th.

Optimized for Android tablets and smartphones, Max Payne Mobile delivers the experience of the first title of the franchise, with HD graphics, high-definition textures, control options that can be easily customized by the player and even compatibility for USB controllers.

Shadowgun DeadZone

After the success of the Shadowgun title, the guys at Madfinger Games have launched the beta version for Shadowgun DeadZone in Google Play.

Unfortunately, at the time the game was made available for download, it was compatible exclusively with the Android devices underpinned by a Tegra 3 chipset, but the games developer announced that the game is now available for download for all the owners of an Android-power device that runs SDK 3.0 or later.

The game is still in beta, therefore you might bump into one or two bugs, but the gaming experience as a whole is amazing and you will definitely fall in love with it from the first scenes of gameplay.

We are inviting you to give it a try and visit Shadowgun DeadZone Google Play Store page, where you will also find more details, some interesting screenshots and user reviews.

The Dark Knight Rises

Last summer the highly anticipated last episode of the Dark Knight trilogy has made it to the theaters and almost synchronized with the movie, Gameloft’s The Dark Knight Rises game was made available for download in Google Play Store.

The Dark Knight Rises title has a price of $6.99 and a size of 1.8 GB, therefore, we’re recommending a WiFi network. Our team has tested the game on a Nexus 7 tablet and enjoyed the graphics, gameplay and that the game has followed movie’s storyline.

You’ll get everything you wished for in The Dark Knight Rises: you get to ride the Batpod, you team-up with Catwoman and the exceptional moment when Bruce Wayne is thrown in the pit without his Batman costume.

The gameplay mechanics are based on button mashing, just like in Arkham City and you get to use some pretty nice gadgets. You can download The Dark Knight Rises here, for a price of $6.99.

Wild Blood

Wild Blood is a relatively new apparition in Google Play, launched in early October 2012. It’s a game with the action placed in medieval times, where you will control a knight, fight demons, wizards, trolls and undead knights. Wild Blood has a price of $6.99 in Google Play Store and is developed by Gameloft, as well. It has a size of 2 GB, but it is worth every byte and penny.

You will fight your enemies using a bow, a sword, two axes and a couple of spells, all accessible using the dedicated buttons. When I first saw Wild Blood, for some reason I though at God of War. We are dealing with a hack and slash with mashing button and amazing graphics with no trace of aliasing.

The gaming environment looks excellent, while the multiplayer mode is a delight, especially if you own powerful equipment.

Mass Effect Infiltrator

Being a huge fan of Mass Effect 3 myself and because I was playing it while the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 was in tests in our office, I decided to install Mass Effect Infiltrator on it.

The title costs $4.99 and is a third person shooter where you control a Cerberus soldier and fight all the races known from the popular SF series. You can use a machinegun, a sniper, shotgun, laser weapon and the battles are very quick and intense.

If there weren’t those camera problems and if Mass Effect Infiltration weren’t so short, it would have definitely been awarded the best game of 2012.

You also get to use your special powers called Biotics, allowing you to throw your enemies around or throw energy balls. The graphics are as good as on a PlayStation 2 game, and, in my opinion, the only drawback is that the gameplay is mostly based on taking cover behind various objects.

You can download Mass Effect Infiltrator on your tablet by following the Google Play Store link.

Angry Birds Star Wars HD

I can talk about Angry Birds Star Wars for days, as I am playing it for a whole month and I still discover new and interesting goodies.

The game provides over 120 levels where you can enjoy the classic Angry Birds gameplay, combined with Star Wars characters and new gaming environments. Played on Death Star, Tatooine, Hoth planet, or on Dagobah you will receive bonus levels with R2D2 and C3PO.

All the birds are now Star Wars characters, and the Red Bird is now Luke Skywalker, while Han Solo is represented by the Yellow Bird, which is now shooting lasers. Darth Vader is one of the Green pigs, now wearing a black mask, and you will fight using laser swords, special Jedi powers, you will hit green pigs-controlled robots and you will have a lot of fun.

Angry Birds Star Wars HD is available at $2.99 in Google Play Store, so go ahead and give it a try, you will not regret it.

Bad Piggies HD

Bad Piggies could easily be the best Android tablet game this year, being the most original title in the list.

I would have never thought that Rovio will be able to develop a non-Angry Birds related title that is so great. It’s true, the game uses the bad guys from Angry Birds, namely the annoying green pigs, but this time you will have to use them in a more interesting adventure.

We are not talking about slingshots and birds anymore, but about building a terrestrial or airborn vehicle using different unusual parts, like soda bottles, wooden boxes, fans, umbrellas, balloons, bicycle wheels and rockets.

You can combine them anyway you want and you can mess around and create original vehicles that will carry the green ping to the finish line that is at the end of a slope or loop. Bad Piggies it’s a great choice when you want to have some fun. You can download Bad Piggies HD for free, here.

Need for Speed Most Wanted

I had some fun with NFS Most Wanted on a Google Nexus 7 and I spent hours having fun with it… It’s a highly attractive and highly addictive title, with graphics that would make the PS Vita cry and a gameplay that would make you forget about Gameloft’s Asphalt 7.

The crashes with the police cars are the icing on the cake in Need for Speed Most wanted, and the chances and races are amazing. The variety of the cars and tracks (the events are held in different moments of the day) are welcome, and the soundtrack included dubstep, Green Day and electro, so you might enjoy this aspect, too.

I also liked that I didn’t have any trouble in raising money for new cars and that the cars are suffering visual damage on impact, while the police will stick on your tail. It’s the ultimate racing game so far.

Here’s the Play Store link, and $6.99 are nothing compared to what the game will bring for you.

NOVA 3

NOVA 3 by Gamelof is the kind of game that will make your friends buy a powerful Android device only to play this tile.

I’ve tested NOVA 3 on a Nexus 7 and it has stolen a lot of my sleep time hours this fall. It’s a combination between Halo and Crysis, being a shooter that would also fit on a PlayStation 3, if not with its graphics, at least with its gameplay.

The single player campaing will bring 10 long levels, while the multiplayer mode is a reminiscent of Unreal Turnament’s greatest days. Besides the gunfights (it’s a shooter after all), you also get to control robots, buggies, and even use your special powers, like slowing down the time or throwing the enemies using psychic energy.

The NOVA 3 multiplayer involves 12 games that are connected simultaneously, and the game’s graphics are spectacular, delicious, almost perfect! NOVA 3 is definetely on of the best Android tablet games in 2012, if not the best.

If you have $6.99 don’t hesitate to buy NOVA 3. You will find the Play Store link here.

In 2013 I am expecting other titles and franchises to hit the Android-powered tablets, and, personally, I would like to play Resident Evil, Silent Hill, God of War, or Crash Badicoot on a 7-inch or 10.1-inch tablet with HD display.